Green warbler-finch

Green warbler-finch
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Thraupidae
Genus: Certhidea
Species:
C. olivacea
Binomial name
Certhidea olivacea
Gould, 1837

The green warbler-finch (Certhidea olivacea) is a species of bird, one of Darwin's finches in the tanager family Thraupidae. Sometimes classified in the family Emberizidae, more recent studies have shown it to belong in the tanager family.

When Darwin collected it in 1835 during the Beagle survey expedition he mistakenly thought it was a wren, but on return to England he was informed in March 1837 by the ornithologist John Gould that the bird was in the group of finches.[2]

It is endemic to the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador. This species is closely related to the grey warbler-finch, and were formerly considered conspecific, but both species differ in appearance, distribution, habitat, and song. Holding a distinctive place in the evolutionary history of Galápagos finches, phylogenetic studies suggest that the warbler finches represent one of the earliest branches in the radiation of Galápagos finches, diverging prior to the more well-known ground finches and tree finches. With its slender, pointed beak adapted for capturing insects, the Green Warbler Finch occupies a unique ecological niche within the Galápagos archipelago. As such, the Warbler Finches serve as a crucial species for understanding the evolutionary processes that have shaped the remarkable avian diversity found in this iconic ecosystem.[3]

  1. ^ BirdLife International (2017). "Certhidea olivacea". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017: e.T103814223A119095821. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T103814223A119095821.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  2. ^ Sulloway, Frank J. (1982). "Darwin and His Finches: The Evolution of a Legend" (PDF). Journal of the History of Biology. 15 (1): 1–53. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.458.3975. doi:10.1007/BF00132004. S2CID 17161535. Retrieved 2008-12-09.
  3. ^ gazetteimport (2006-07-24). "How Darwin's finches got their beaks". Harvard Gazette. Retrieved 2024-05-01.